Activated display device



July 19, 1938; A Y L. J. CARRIVEAU 2,123,932

. ACTIVATED DISPLAY DEVICE I Filed Aug. 5, 1936 Wit/w f At may PatentedJuly 19, 1938 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in advertising and displaydevices and more particularly to such devices as are adapted to simulatethe effervescence of a gas-charged beverage or 5 of a medicinalpreparation which releases a gas.

Advertising and display devices for present-day use are deficient intheir action in attracting the attention of the general public unlessactivated to provide a moving exhibit by which the curiosity of anyobserver is aroused. Such activated device, to be fully effective,should be so constructed as to display the actual action which takesplace in the article being advertised. When such article is a beverageor a medicinal preparation which releases gas bubbles prior to or duringits use, it is however impossible to employ the beverage or otherpreparation itself even with continuous replenishment of the gases inthe beverage or of the preparation for the reason that the appearance,and often the physical state itself, of the materials are changed by thegas release or formation.

Various means have been proposed heretofore by which air or other gaseshave been supplied to a beverage or medicinal preparation to beadvertised by showing the release of gas bubbles therefrom. Such deviceshave however failed in their purpose for the reason that the means bywhich the gas bubbles were distributed in the beverage or medicinalpreparation were seen to be clearly artificial, even upon a very casualinspection, in that such means did not provide for the apparentlynatural accumulation, formation, and release of bubbles of gas.

It is therefore among the objects of the present invention to provide anactivated device for displaying and advertising a beverage or medicinalpreparation from or in which gas bubbles are released prior to or duringthe use of such beverage or preparation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for advertisingand displaying an effervescent beverage or medicinal preparation inwhich the gas bubbles to be released are so distributed throughout thebeverage or preparation as to simulate the natural accumulation,formation, and release of gas bubbles therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for advertisingand displaying an effervescent beverage or medicinal preparation inwhich the "gases to be released are supplied to a block, plate, orcylinder of an artificial or nat ural, and preferably inorganic andinsoluble, material which is obtainable in or can be readily worked intoany shape and which is porous but without continuous channelstherethrough, in order that gas applied to one surface of such materialmay pass therethrough to accumulate in bubbles at irregular spacings andwithout appearing in any constant cycle on such material. 5

Objects and advantages other than those above set forth will be apparentfrom the following description, when read in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which;

Figure 1 is a View, partially in elevation and 10 partially in section,of a mechanism for producing and supplying air under pressure to acontainer for advertising and displaying an efiervescent beverage ormedicinal preparation;

Figure 2 is a partially elevational and partially cross-sectional viewtaken on the plane IIII, in the direction of the arrows, of Fig. 1, toillustrate the construction of the pump for producing the air pressurerequired, and of the means for driving the pump; and Figure 3 is apartially elevational and partially cross-sectional view taken on theplane IIIIII of Fig. l, in the direction of the arrows, to furtherillustrate the construction of the pump for producing the air pressureand particularly to illustrate the connection of the pump with itsdriving means.

It will be understood that the container for the beverage or medicinalpreparation to be displayed is located on or in a suitably designed anddecorated cabinet or stand provided with an inclosed compartment forconcealing and retaining the mechanism for supplying air under pressureto the displayed container.

Referring more particularly to the drawing by characters of reference,the reference numeral 6 designates a suitable base on which is mounted adriving means herein shown as an electric motor I having a worm 8 formedor mounted on the shaft thereof. The worm engages a worm wheel 9 whichis rotatably mounted in a bracket 1 l extending from the frame of themotor I. The bracket is formed with an aperture and a connecting passagel2 open to the atmosphere. A crank disk I3 is mounted on the spindle ofworm wheel 9 for rotation therewith and is provided with a pin I4eccentrically mounted on the disk, thus completing the driving means forthe air pump.

The air pump comprises a block l6 pivotally mounted on a pin l'lextending through the bracket II and held closely against the side ofsuch block by a spring [8 compressed between the block and an adjustingnut I9, thus retaining the bracket and pump block in close contact 55regardless of the wear of the contacting surfaces. The pump block isbored to provide a cylinder 2| and is provided with a passageway 22therethrough, extending from the cylinder and so located as to be inregistry with the passageway l2 when the pump block I6 is in apredetermined position. A piston 23 is fitted into cylinder 2| and ispivotally connected with the crank pin M.

The bracket H is provided, in addition to the passageway I2, with asecond passageway 26 therethrough, into which is connected a nipple 21.A piece of tubing 28, which is preferably flexible, is connected withthe nipple and is led, in fluid-tight relation, through the bottom orside of a container 3| for the effervescent material to be displayed.The end of the tubing is provided with a socket 32 or other suitablemeans for receiving or for connection to a block or plate 33 ofporous-material. The material 33 is preferably either a piece of porousmineral or a ceramic product which is porous. portant that the materialbe insoluble in order that passage of gas through the pores shall not beable to form a direct channel, thus retaining the ability of allowingonly a diffused flow of gas therethrough, rather than a direct flowwhich would prevent the slow formation of bubbles at irregular spacingand without occurrence in a predetermined cycle over the surface of thematerial 33, and their release from such surface in the manner of thenatural formation of gas bubbles from a solid going into solution withthe release of gas bubbles into such solution. It is also important thatthe material 33 be readily procurable in or workable into the shape ofplates, cylinders, etc., or into the shape of lozenges or tablets tosimulate a medicinal preparation produced in such form. Suitablematerials have been found to include unglazed ceramics, silicon carbidein the form known to the trade as carborundum, and a number of naturalsandstones and soapstones.

In operation, energization of the motor 7 drives the worm wheel 9 whichrotates disk I 3. The rotation of the disk l3 and pin l4 mounted thereincauses reciprocation of the piston 23 in the cylinder 2!. The piston 23being made of a single bar or rod and simply pivotally connected' withcrank pin l4, reciprocation of the piston causes oscillation of cylinderblock Hi It is imabout its pivot l1. Such oscillation causes registry ofcylinder block passageway 22 with port and passageway [2 when the piston23 is moving out of cylinder, thus causing a flow of air at atmosphericpressure into the cylinder. When the piston starts to move into thecylinder, the cylinder block I6 is oscillated to cause registry ofcylinder block passageway 22 with the bracket passageway 26 whereby airis forced, under a slight pressure above atmospheric pressure, throughtubing 28 and through the pores of block 33, from the upper surfaces ofwhich such air escapes in the form of bubbles.

Although but one embodiment of the present invention has beenillustrated and described herein, it will be apparent that variouschanges and modifications may be made without departing from the spiritof the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A display device comprising a container for a fluid, a source of agas under pressure, a tube extending from said source of gas into saidcontainer, and a solid block of porous material within said containerand having one end of said tube connected with one surface thereof todiffuse gas through the pores of said block from all surfacesthereofinto the liquid in said container, said block being shaped andmarked to simulate an effervescent object to be displayed.

2. A display device comprising a container for a fluid, a source of gasunder pressure, a tube extending from said source of gas into saidcontainer, and a block of sandstone shaped and;

marked to simulate a tablet of a solid material effervescent whendissolving, said block having one surface thereof connected with saidtube to diffuse gas from the other surfaces of said block into theliquid in said container.

3. A display device comprising a container for a liquid, a source of gasunder pressure, a tube extending from said source of gas into saidcontainer, and a block of silicon carbide arranged in said container andshaped and marked to simulate a gas producing object to be displayed,one surface of said block being connected with said tube to provide gasfor diffusion into the liquid from the other surfaces of said block.

LAWRENCE J. CARRIVE-AU.

